Ardentinny’s Glenfinart Walled Garden has been awarded a £768 administration grant by Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

According to Ardentinny Community Trust Treasurer, Dennis Gower, this most welcome additional funding will go towards insurance and other administration costs of the Walled Garden project.

The National Park previously provided support to this community initiative through the tireless efforts of its volunteers during the preparations for the Glenfinart Walled Garden’s episode of the BBC’s Beechgrove Garden programme and the Trust continues to maintain a close liaison with the Park regarding its ongoing work on the project.

It’s been a busy week for the Glenfinart Walled Garden volunteers who today put on an amazing display of produce and crafts at Blairmore’s Local Produce Christmas Market.

Anna Williamson, Linda Naismith, Ann Morrison, Janette Reilly, Merle Ferguson, Lynn Kerr, Margaret Robinson and the Community Payback Team created beautiful wreaths and Christmas decorations to raise funds for the Walled Garden. Linda Naismith provided the venue for the village crafters and was a wonderful host, keeping the workers fed and watered (not to mention dealing with the mess left behind!).

Forest foragers gathered berries, hundreds of pine cones, holly and greenery for the wreaths and many from the community donated Christmas decorations, ribbons and craft items to complete the wreaths.  Locals also donated home baking and preserves, hand crafts and designer jewellery. The creative hands of Chris Emmett constructed bird boxes and feeders, the proceeds from which will buy wood for raised beds for the Walled Garden.

A big thank you to everyone!!

Ardentinny Community Trust held a Harvest Fair at Glenfinart Walled Garden on Saturday 12 October. Now a regular item on the Cowalfest programme, this year the garden could offer so much more and it did!

In addition to the recently completed Sensory Garden, inspired and recorded by the BBC’s Beechgrove Community Garden’s programme, there was a host of other attractions. There was apple juice pressing by young and old alike with John Hancox from The Commonwealth Orchard.

Argyll chef, Alison Sycora, provided harvest cooking demonstrations which produced delicious vegetarian dishes such as oat groat risotto. Artist and ceramicist, Bill Williamson attracted crowds all keen to learn how to throw a pot or two and the Walking Theatre Company’s time traveller, Scot Ansgeulaiche, had visitors entranced by ‘stories that have been hidden in the stones of the walls and plants in the grounds of Glenfinart Walled Garden’.

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Volunteers provided bird-box-making lessons and Cowal Red Squirrel Group were on hand with information, advice and a very special friend – a giant red squirrel who, with the garden’s resident fairy, ensured that the kids were entertained.

Of course, there was also an abundance of the now renowned Ardentinny home baking to take away or wash down in the spacious tea tent and for a glimpse at the far and nearer past, there was an audio/visual record of the garden’s progress to date.

Among the visitors was MSP Mike Russell who had this to say about the day:

“The walled garden has become a tremendous asset for the community and the amazing progress made since I was last there is a huge testament to the hard work of so many. The open day was tremendous fun and very informative and it was good to see so many people from outside the area there and keen to participate. All those involved deserve a great deal of praise for what they have done, not least for creating such a peaceful and positive space which touches many lives.”

The garden will have its last regular opening to the public this Saturday from 11am until 3pm. and will reopen at Easter 2014. However, during the winter months, Glenfinart Walled Garden will be open to volunteers and groups and individual visitors are welcome to come along by appointment. Those interested in visiting the garden during the winter should call 01369 810275 or email info@GlenfinartGarden.org.

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Courtesy: Reporting Scotland/BBC

Fruitful Partnerships for Strone and Glenfinart Walled Garden 

On the 18^th September, 2013, Duncan, Sky, Sarah, Mrs Brown and Mrs Brayshaw from Strone Primary School together with Merle Ferguson from Glenfinart Walled Garden Project went to the Scottish Parliament Building to celebrate Holyrood Apple Day. Only three schools in Scotland were invited to the Scottish Parliament Building along with different community groups.

While we were there, we offered people free apples and postcards with apples on them. A lot of people took the apples but not so much the postcards. A while after, the three of us got our photos taken by a photographer. Then Sarah was covered in apples for a national newspaper article.

At about 12:45pm we went into the Parliament Building to display our apples and apple flapjacks, which we had made using the apples that we picked from the Glenfinart Walled Garden. The apples and flapjacks were amazing and the display was fabulous looking with all the apples in the baskets. Strone Primary got a Wee Apples Award for coming along and helping out at the Glenfinart Walled Garden, working in partnership with the garden and their team of volunteers.

After the awards we went and had some lunch then we went on a tour around the Parliament Building. Our tour guide took us to see a model of the Debating Chamber and then explained where all the MSP ‘s sit. Our tour guide then took us to the front desk to collect five tickets for us to go into the Debating Chamber where we saw Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon and Mike Russell. It was very interesting. We couldn’t understand why the politicians were allowed to shout out when people were talking, it wouldn’t be allowed at Strone!

Shortly after we all went home with a marvellous apple each.

We had a wonderful day and learned a lot and would like to especially thank all the people at Glenfinart for working with us when we visited the garden.

Written by Duncan, Sky and Sarah
Strone Primary Eco Representatives

Glenfinart Walled Garden’s fruitful partnership with local Strone Primary School has been in the news recently when the three pupils who are Strone Primary’s Eco Representatives were invited to the Scottish Parliament to celebrate Holyrood Apple Day.

The event, which brings together apple growers and enthusiasts from Scotland’s rural and urban areas, celebrates the fruit’s heritage. Strone School was one of only three Scottish Schools invited to attend. Earlier in the week Eco Representatives,  Duncan, Sky and Sarah picked the apples in Glenfinart Walled Garden which were later displayed in Parliament. After receiving a “Wee Apples” award, the group toured the building and attended a session in the Debating Chamber.

On the right is Strone Primary’s Eco Representatives’ account of their day in Edinburgh.